Nice people thread part 3- Nice as pie

PasturesNew

dopester wrote: »

as a child, when left alone in the car, I was playing with the suspension to raise and lower the car.... broke the suspension, with lots of hydraullic fluid leaking out, maybe the seals broken.. and a pricey repair. Got told off and had to do a lot of walking whilst it was repaired.

awww - you're SO cute!

Davesnave

misskool wrote: »

Opinions on a citroen ax? 100k, n reg (late 95/early 96), with year's mot. £495.

misskool wrote: »

Worth a punt if the car looks ok?

No. I wouldn't touch anything from Citroen/Peugeot/Renault when it is that old and with that mileage, no matter what it looked like.

The only duff car we ever bought was an Audi which was totally pristine, but had definitely been clocked. The thing is, Audis hide wear, tear and mileage better than most. Even then, it wasn't awful, (well, till the engine blew up!) but stuff like shocks and steering racks wore out. This taught me, bright shiny condition isn't everything.

I've usually only bought lowish mileage cars, although I had a succession of real bangers as a yoof. These were Austin A35s and 40s which were so simple even I could change gearboxes etc on them.
The other exception was a Singer Gazelle, which was black. Because similar Hunters were used as taxis, people used to climb into it! Had a particularly dodgy experience in a Swindon pub car park, where I was forced to take a load of drunks home instead of picking up a girlfriend, but I was paid! This car died of tin-worm less than a year after I bought it.
The lowish milers were:


Hillman Imp 30k Nice. Got rid when cyl head gasket began to go.
Hillman Hunter 25k owner deceased, so good reason to sell!
Renault 12 Estate 22k Not properly run in when bought. Did 75k with us and was no problem till dreaded tin worm struck.
VW Passat Estate 60k Audi 5 cylinder engine. Nice. Bought from a doctor. Written off by another driver 3 months later.
Audi Avant The clocked one. Nice to drive, ate miles effortlessly. Huge.
Citroen Visa 58k A stop-gap. Completely mad car. Strangely pleasant, but rust too far gone. Sold to fish-wearing Christians on a dark night!:rotfl:
Volvo 240 Estate 55k Almost new, had lain dormant years. Drank like a fish and acted drunk. Reliable. Sold easily to an insane enthusiast.
Toyota Carina 60k So anonymous, I forgot it! Never put a foot wrong, but not an estate, so we sold it two years on, practically for what we paid.
Vauxhall Carlton 52k Got history from previous elderly owner. Nice car made in Germany. Written off by hit & run driver, but driveable, so did another year or two till about 100k, then we decided to ditch & switch.
Nissan Primera 2l Hatch. 60k Fine, till a garage replaced the rear suspension, which ruined it. When same garage did temp repair on brakes, I was warned, but I forgot, and with crap suspension & brakes went straight through a hedge. Best thing that could have happened! :cool:Insurance paid back almost what I paid.:D
Nissan Primera 2l Estate. 52k We should have had the estate in the first place. Traced the owner and got full history. Written off on a Pelican by nice Welsh bimbo in '09, but repaired privately. Still going strong @ 104k. Ran away(slowly) a few months back & fixed cheaply, but no longer trust handbrake! Still trust the rest.

We have also had vans, including a Fiat which had done only 22k and was lovely to drive, but bits fell off in your hand. We then had a Ford Transit 150 for many years, with a nippy turbo engine and lovely, comfy seats. Now we have a Mercedes Sprinter 311 (33k) which is Germanically efficient and mechanically bomb-proof, but the seats are carp and, surprisingly, the plastic bits are very plasticky and break. Despite this, people are always asking if I want to sell it.

We usually buy privately from owners, or from 'little men' who attend auctions & specialise. I now pay as much attention to the seller as the car. The Carlton & both Nissans came from ‘diamond geezers’ I’d trust my granny with, if I had one. They were all HPI clear. These chaps make a few hundred on each transaction, but the cars are valeted and it saves a lot of mucking about on our part.

lostinrates

Phew, house is ''mine'' again for the night. They are back in the morning but that's it until after NY I think. Tomorrow is also the day chosen for the male cull here. Supper and Supper have to go. They are starting to get an idea they aren't meant to be great friends and so time to go before they go further and hurt each other.

If I can get them! They are way up on a rafter and keeping their distance from me!

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

Tomorrow is also the day chosen for the male cull here. Supper and Supper have to go!

There are always ads in the local rags here:

'Cockeral (they can never spell it) free to good home.'

I guess people can't accept the responsibility.:(

I'm rubbish at wringing necks. Think it will have to be the traffic cone, chopping block and machete for me. Not much margin for error.

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

I guess people can't accept the responsibility.:(

Which is fine, just get laying hens...but don't hatch your own! People are silly. We have rehomed a few, but it isn't always possible.

GDB2222

Davesnave wrote: »

I'm rubbish at wringing necks. Think it will have to be the traffic cone, chopping block and machete for me. Not much margin for error.

Traffic cone? Is that to warn the squeamish off?

misskool

Thanks all, we didn't get the ax in the end. It had 113k rather than 100k miles so probably at the end of its life.

I need to move to a place where cars last 2 days in the local paper, most private sales have gone when I've rung. And no one listing now I guess because of the festive season

lostinrates

misskool wrote: »

Thanks all, we didn't get the ax in the end. It had 113k rather than 100k miles so probably at the end of its life.

I need to move to a place where cars last 2 days in the local paper, most private sales have gone when I've rung. And no one listing now I guess because of the festive season

OK, consider how little I know about cars: I'm considering paying a mechanic to come with me to a car auction....if I can find a mechanic....

Davesnave

GDB2222 wrote: »

Traffic cone? Is that to warn the squeamish off?

No, you need one of the very large size cones (modified if necessary so the hen's head can drop easily through the small end.) The body of the cone stops it flapping....

I don't need to elaborate further, do I?

silvercar

Davesnave wrote: »

No, you need one of the very large size cones (modified if necessary so the hen's head can drop easily through the small end.) The body of the cone stops it flapping....

I don't need to elaborate further, do I?

This is meant to be a nice thread.:eek: